This story is from July 1, 2014

Veerappan brother seeks release from jail

Having spent 26 years in jail, slain forest brigand Veerappan’s elder brother Mathaiyan, now 66, has approached the Madras high court for early release. He is lodged in Salem central prison.
Veerappan brother seeks release from jail
CHENNAI: Having spent 26 years in jail, slain forest brigand Veerappan’s elder brother Mathaiyan, now 66, has approached the Madras high court for early release. He is lodged in Salem central prison.
In a habeas corpus petition, filed by his counsel P Pugalenthi, Mathaiyan said he was arrested by the Bungalow Pudur police in Erode on July 28, 1987 in connection with a murder.
On August 21, 1987 he was transferred to Mysore prison, where he stayed till June 28, 1994 when he was brought back to Tamil Nadu and lodged in Coimbatore central prison.
He was convicted in the murder case in November 1997 and was awarded imprisonment for life.
Noting that he had already served 26 years of imprisonment, the petition said as on July 28, 2007 when hundreds of lifers were given premature release by the TN government, he had completed 20 years of imprisonment. He was still denied premature release benefit, he said.
Citing a November 10, 1994 government order which mandated the release of life convicts who had served at least 20 years of actual imprisonment, Pugalenthi said even this humanitarian ground was not applied on Mathaiyan.
The petition said Mathaiyan sent a representation to the authorities on February 7, 2014 and added that the authorities were yet to respond to the notice. Describing as discriminatory the failure of the authorities to consider his plea, Mathaiyan wanted the court to order his release. On Monday, a division bench of Justice V Dhanapalan and Justice G Chockalingam ordered notices to the authorities, returnable in four weeks.
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